Calvin Klein's Two Creative Directors Are Departing

​Leaving a Raf Simons-shaped hole to fill?

Calvin Klein just announced that the company's two creative directors, Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli, are leaving. The move is part of a new creative strategy that will unify all the disparate Calvin Klein brands into one gleaming CK behemoth.

Costa took over as the creative director of Calvin Klein's womenswear in 2003, while Zucchelli took over menswear in 2004. The time each logged with CK was considerably longer than the recent three-to-four year residencies at big fashion houses from designers like Alexander Wang (Balenciaga), Hedi Slimane (Saint Laurent), and Raf Simons (Dior), but their departures still mark a seismic shift in the fashion industry, which has had more than its fair share of seismic shifts recently. The dissolution of separate womenswear and menswear strategies also follows other fashion houses like Gucci, Burberry, and Tom Ford, which have made similar announcements.

A statement from Calvin Klein said an announcement about a new leader will be made shortly, and the rumor is: it's Raf Simons.